F.D.R. BOARD MAY 'CRACK DOWN'
Drastic Action
Planned if New Offer for Arbitration is Refused
President
Roosevelt's National Longshoremen's Board is ready to take drastic
action should its latest offer of arbitration in the maritime strike be
refused. The board asked that both employers and strikers submit to
arbitration.
"If
this proposal is refused," said Assistant Secy. of Labor Edward F.
McGrady, board member, "the board will immediately start to hold
public hearings and conduct elections to determine who is to represent
the men, possibly along the entire Pacific coast.
"Regardless
of what any party may do, we propose to carry on under the mandate given
us by the President of the United States."
Forced
into the background temporarily by the opening of the port, the board
awaited replies from both sides in the maritime strike to its
arbitration proposal.
The
latest appeal for arbitration, issued last night by the President's
board, came after a message from Washington had struck a heavy blow to
peace hopes.
Supplementing
its appeal, the board issued another statement today pointed out it was
the official agency of the federal government to deal with the strike,
that it had the full confidence of Secy. of Labor Frances Perkins, and
that its arbitration appeal should be recognized and responded to by all
parties.
The
board had asked Sec;y. Perkins whether it had the right to compel ship
owners to negotiate strike grievances jointly instead of individually.
The Department of Labor got a ruling from U.S. Atty. Gen. Homer S.
Cummings that the board had no such power.
The
board had hoped to persuade striking seamen and other ship crafts to go
back to work, while it took up their grievances with representatives of
all ship lines.
H.W.
Hutton, attorney for the International Seamen's Union, had contended
that a ruling of the Supreme Court make it imperative that the lines
deal jointly with the strikers.
In
its new appeal the board pointed out that it could act as voluntary
arbitrator if both parties requested such action, and asked that both
strikers and employers reply to the appeal before Thursday night.
There
were reports that the employers had indicated their willingness to ask
for arbitration, but officials of the board said they had not yet
received notification from either side.
Harry
Bridges, as head of the San Francisco I.L.A. strike committee, said he
did not believe the longshoremen would accept any plan to have all their
grievances submitted to arbitration, because, under the provisions of
the NRA [National Recovery Act], they might lose their fight for the
closed shop, their chief aim. He said no plans had been made to take a
vote on the national board's proposal.
Representatives
of all other striking maritime unions were to meet during the day and
draft an answer to the board.
"The
board moved slowly at first, acting in the role of conciliator,"
said Edward F. McGrady, assistant labor secretary and member of the
board. "Then when it found that conciliation was fruitless it
stepped into its arbitration role.
"Strike leaders were asked twice to
submit the June 16 agreement to a new vote by all members of the
International Longshoremen. Both times they rejected the proposal. Now
we hope that a vote will be taken on a request for arbitration and that
we will have a favorable answer by Thursday, so that actual arbitration
can be started by Friday morning."
San
Francisco News
July 3, 1934
F.R. BOARD WINS DELAY IN DECISION
Stevedores Temporarily Are
Talked Out of Refusal to Arbitrate Demands
The
National Longshoremen's board, in conference with longshoremen,
temporarily talked the strikers out of rejecting the arbitration
proposal today.
William
J. Lewis, district president of the International Longshoremen's
Association, and John Finnegan, local I.L.A. executive committee member,
met with board members at the State Building. Harry Bridges, chairman of
the joint marine strike committee, was summoned by the board soon after
the meeting started.
Mr.
Bridges, at the conclusion of the meeting, immediately left for a
conference with the joint strike committee, saying that he would discuss
arbitration with the seamen later.
Other Unions Ready
Other
maritime unions were reported ready to refuse the board's arbitration
suggestion as board members went ahead with plans to hold public
hearings and call elections, if necessary.
The
board had asked that both employers and strikers answer the appeal by
Thursday night, so that arbitration could start Friday. However, the
joint marine strike committee was understood to have agreed that the
question of a closed shop cannot be arbitrated and that arbitration
would therefore be useless.
The
committee also decided that instead of a joint reply to the board's
request, each of the striking unions should draft its own answer.
O.K.
Cushing, member of the board, said he had received communications from
some of the unions, but withheld a statement until he had heard from
them all.
Bridges Explains
Mr.
Bridges declared that the men would not go back to work and submit to
arbitration until some solution of the hiring hall problem is reached,
so that men will not be forced to congregate on the Embarcadero awaiting
calls for work.
The
Waterfront Employers' Union was reported making a check of its
membership in order to prepare its answer to the board's request for
arbitration. The answer will be prepared at a meeting tomorrow
afternoon, it was stated.
The
national board offices were kept open throughout today, awaiting word
from either party and from Washington, it was announced by Mr. Cushing.
McGrady Ready
Edward
F. McGrady, assistant labor secretary, said the board was going ahead on
the supposition that its request would be accepted, but indicated that
if it is rejected the board is ready to invoke its arbitrary powers,
though it will naturally await instructions from Washington.
Mr.
McGrady said the board probably would hold public hearings, subpoenaing
all concerned. Two days would be sufficient for hearings here, he
believed, and the board would then hold hearings at Los Angeles, Seattle
and Portland, after which it would be able to make recommendations to
Washington.
If
the need arose he said the board would also call elections in the
various unions to determine whether the men were satisfied with their
present spokesmen.
"All
parties to the controversy and the public must realize that the appeal
for arbitration published in the press, to all parties to the
controversy to use peaceful and intelligent means suggested for
immediately terminating the strike is an appeal by the federal
government and should be recognized and responded to accordingly,"
said a statement from the board.
The
joint strike committee countered this with a statement that "the
attempt on the part of the Industrial Association to move a few trucks
and call it 'opening the port' is nothing but an attempt to scare the
strikers into going back to work pending arbitration."
The statement contended the President's
board has no power to force arbitration.
The Daily News
July 4, 1934
The Strike Situation in Brief
San Francisco Daily News -
July 6, 1934
Developments in the waterfront strike situation today:
California National Guardsmen maintained
martial law on the waterfront after yesterday's bloody rioting.
Threats
of a general strike grew more ominous. Many unions were discussing a
sympathy walkout. Delegates were named to attend a meeting called by
Harry Bridges, strike committee chairman. Possibility of a sympathy
strike by Atlantic dock workers increased.
State
Highway Police were ordered to stop strike-connected disorders reported
in the interior. A San Francisco-bound truckload of hay was turned over
near Tracy, drivers refused to move cattle here, shippers were undecided
whether to send tomatoes, 34 trucks with perishables were halted by
asserted strikers.
The
waterfront was quiet. Picket dispersed gatherings of their men.
Cargo
movements from the docks were speeded up by Industrial Association
trucks and the state Belt Line Railroad.
Many
rioters arrested during recent fighting awaited trials.
An
Oakland striker was shot when he and four others attacked a San
Francisco dock worker.
Under
the protection of police and guardsmen, land crews resumed local work on
the San Francisco-Oakland bay bridge which they were forced to flee when
yesterday's rioting swept over them.
Rocks
were thrown through the windows of the Pelicano-Rossi Floral Co. in
which Mayor Rossi is a partner.
Labor
Secy. Frances Perkins, in Washington, watched developments closely.
Chief
Quinn and Col. R.E. Mittelstaedt of the National Guard repeated warnings
to the curious to stay away from the waterfront.
The Daily News
July 6, 1934
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